Household kitchen compactors are known which receive refuse and compresses it to a certain restricted volume. These compactors are generally box-shaped and are of such dimensions that they fit under a kitchen counter. The compactor has a refuse-receiving drawer which can be pulled out and retracted into the unit. Thus, the unit may have a retractable door provided with a bed plate supporting a waste container. When the door is in a closed position, a press assembly including a compacting piston, can be activated to compress the waste material in a direction toward the bed plate. Furthermore, it is desirable in apparatus of this type to utilize a compact press assembly that permits the piston to be entirely removed from the container when the door and the bed plate are removed from the structure.
Another requirement of the so-called household kitchen compactor is that the piston is capable of a long stroke that permits it to move far down in the container and in proximity to the bed plate. Furthermore, it is also desirable to provide a compactor that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Thus, previous constructions, such as the hydraulically actuated piston mechanism in a compactor, have been found to be too expensive to be suitable. Moreover, mechanical-electrical systems, using a rotary screw as the motive means for the piston, have not proved to be satisfactory since it is difficult to obtain a sufficient stroke length of the screw within the available limited space. In addition, the previous known constructions were subject to a relatively slow compressing cycle.